KIP doctoral students Gregory Miodonski and Oluwatosin Oyeniran attended the 11th Annual Michigan Physiological Society (MPS) Conference hosted by Oakland University, Rochester Hills, Michigan. The event featured participation from eleven institutions including Michigan Technological University and was held from Monday June 24th to Tuesday June 25th, 2024.
One of the highlights of the conference was when Oluwatosin presented his research, titled “Classroom Techniques for Teaching Skeletal Muscle Contraction”. This project supervised by Dr. Steven Elmer explores the alternative teaching (hands-on or active learning) approaches that can be employed to skeletal muscles to students across different levels.
Another important highlight of the conference were the keynote lectures from eminent speakers including Emeritus Professor John Williams from the University of Michigan who took the audience on a journey through his life as a physiologist in his talk titled, “The Pancreas and Me”. The Physiology Trivia Competition was also a fascinating session as it refreshes our understanding of basic physiology. Furthermore, the professional development series was very enriching as it offers new perspectives and approaches to learning, teaching, and career development.
Moreover, doctoral students Gregory Miodonski and Oluwatosin Oyeniran had the privilege to moderate the oral presentation session on Strength, Reproduction, and Integrative Physiology. Speaking on their experience, Gregory stated, “It’s no accident that the MPS is arguably the most active APS chapter–it takes a lot of work to keep physiologists, trainees, and our communities involved throughout the year. Our annual meeting in particular requires everyone to chip in, and it was a pleasure to do my part”.
On the other hand, Oluwatosin stated, “Moderating an oral presentation session and presenting my research findings to a large scientific and academic audience was both fulfilling and fabulous. The feedback I got from the participants was highly beneficial, bringing out novel ideas and roadmaps for future studies.
Furthermore, the MPS conference was a great opportunity to meet and network with graduate students in physiology, mentors and advisors, early career researchers, and possible future research collaborators. We also had a great time interacting with other graduate students, faculty, and keynote speakers, while discussing and learning about ongoing projects and cross-exchanging ideas to help advance our research and careers.